LAS VEGAS—Building on its new approach of delivering technology solutions to its franchisees through the use of third-party strategic partners, Wyndham Hotel Group plans to deploy a new, automated, Software-as-a-Service, revenue-management system from Infor across more than 4,500 of its franchised hotels within the U.S. and Canada.

LAS VEGAS—Before thousands of franchisees at Wyndham Hotel Group’s Global Conference here, Wyndham Hotel Group revealed its new loyalty program, latest marketing initiatives and access to better technology, including the launch of a new revenue management solution, and a renewed emphasis on quality and brands.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN—The Grand Hyatt Taipei is celebrating its relaunch April 23 after a top-to-bottom renovation that fleshed out the hotel from its concrete bones. As part of the redo, each of the property’s 853 rooms and suites was stripped to the fundamentals, redesigned and rebuilt.

ATLANTA—The new-build, 112-room Staybridge Suites Albany Wolf Road-Colonie Center hotel has opened near the Albany International Airport. The hotel is the ninth IHG property in Albany and the first Staybridge Suites in the New York Capital Region.

Tuesday March 31st, 2015 - 9:10AM

The Hilton Garden Inn Oldsmar is part of the portfolio acquired by Excel Group.

GREENBELT, MD—Chesapeake Hospitality unveiled the hiring of the executive team for the Hotel Indigo Baltimore–Mt. Vernon, formerly the Mount Vernon Hotel. Kim Sims, president of Chesapeake Hospitality, made the announcement.

ATLANTA—Steve Joyce, president and CEO, Choice Hotels International, addressed a number of key industry topics from tax reform to the opportunity now present in Cuba during the keynote session at the Hunter Hotel Conference here earlier today.

ATLANTA—InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a 251-room Crowne Plaza hotel in New York City. The property is scheduled to open in 2017, and IHG will manage on behalf of the owner, LRR Holdings, LLC.

GREENBELT, MD—Chesapeake Hospitality has added management of three properties during the first quarter of 2015—the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre-East Mountain, Days Inn Harrisburg North and Fenwick Inn—to its growing management portfolio.

NEW YORK—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has reached an agreement with Kemper Development Company and Associates (KDC) to debut the W brand in Bellevue, WA, as part of the $1.2-billion expansion of The Bellevue Collection.

MADISON, WI—Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger with an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners, L.P. whereby Centerbridge, a private investment firm, will acquire Great Wolf, North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts. Great Wolf is currently controlled by funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC.

NEW YORK—The 2015 Hotel Business Management Roundtable was held here at the Dream Downtown last week. Entitled “Operating in an Upswing: How to Make It Even Better,” the event was hosted by Debut Hotel Group, with additional sponsorship from Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance, Profitsword, Simmons Hospitality Bedding and Valley Forge Fabrics.

MCLEAN, VA— From the ground on which Harry S. Truman once waved the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline to the property now recognized as the "Official Hotel of the Alamo," five DoubleTree by Hilton hotels have joined the Historic Hotels of America organization.

BANGKOK—Best Western International recently launched two new global hotel products—Vib, an urban boutique hotel concept, and the BW Premier Collection, a soft brand targeting upscale and luxury independent hotels. The company hosted a recent event here for international developers and investors to learn about the brand’s global development strategy for these two new hotel products.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Though it’s only been open since 2007, the JW Marriott Grand Rapids here has been the top-ranked North American property for the Marriott International, Inc. flag in customer satisfaction three times, most recently last year. What makes 2014 stand out among the others is that the number-one spot was achieved in the first year that the company’s guestVoice customer feedback system was implemented.

STAMFORD, CT—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has signed an agreement with GH Pegasus to open Aloft Tijuana, Aloft Coatzacoalcos and Aloft Poza Rica by the end of 2017, and an agreement with Hoteles Real Chihuahua to unveil the Sheraton Chihuahua Soberano Hotel, a strategic conversion, by this November.

Hotels Gearing Up for Wearable Technology
Technology used to be considered impersonal. You know, the idea of the “robotic mind,” no human interaction. But, the reality is technology is actually very personal and becoming more so by the day. Devices are so in sync with their users, they’ve become the personal secretaries to the masses. This is even more true when talking connected wearables.